Microalgae are able to efficiently convert sunlight, water, and CO2 into a variety of products suitable for renewable energy applications including H2, carbohydrates, and lipids. The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has emerged as a model organism for studying algal physiology, photosynthesis, metabolism, nutrient stress, and the synthesis of bioenergy carriers. During acclimation to nitrogen deprivation, C. reinhardtii cells accumulate significant quantities of starch and form lipid bodies. Despite the significance of these products in algal physiology and in biofuels applications, the metabolic, enzymatic, and regulatory mechanisms controlling the partitioning of metabolites into these distinct carbon stores are poorly understood in algae.
What is needed is a modified algae that can produce large quantities lipid and/or starch and methods of producing the same from modified algae.